1. Introduction
Objectives
Methods
Results Discussion
Acknowledgement
Support for the Supporters: A Case Study of MotherWoman Support Group
Facilitators
Cherilyn D. Bean, BA & Mark Hart, Ed.D.
University of Florida, Department of Behavioral Science and Community Health
This project was completed with thanks to MotherWoman and
the University of Florida.
• Case study framework used due the rarity of support
groups on this topic, wide variance in success rates,
and the few number of existing groups.
• Semi-Structured Interviews
• 12 open-ended questions
• Interviews conducted by phone
• Follows Social-Ecological Model
• Interviewed 2 facilitators in Lynn, MA
• One from a successful group and one
from an unsuccessful group
• Constant Comparative Method used in order to build
off other interviews and connect themes
• Information from Readiness Assessments and
demographics of city utilized
MotherWoman is a non-profit organization in Hadley,
Massachusetts dedicated to supporting and empowering
mothers to create social and personal change through their
Community-based Perinatal Support Model (CPSM). Their focus
is tackling perinatal depression and anxiety by weaving
together different resources to create safety nets of screening
and treatment. Support groups for mothers are the hallmark of
their model, which are led by community members who have
been trained by MotherWoman. Their support groups
encourage community, mindfulness, strength, and realities of
motherhood. The need to improve the support groups are
indicated by the following reasons:
The aim of the project is to determine what makes the
perinatal depression support groups successful by:
1. Identifying key differences between successful groups and
unsuccessful groups
2. Determining the significant barriers in organizing
After these are achieved, the final step is to Identify short-term
approaches and tactics to improve the support group’s
attendance and recruitment.
Tell me about the
stance for mental
health or maternal &
child health from the
state of
Massachusetts.
What events or
moments have
stood out to you
in the process of
organizing the
support groups?
How is
motherhood
perceived?
Barriers Enabling
Factors
Cultural
Aspects
Weather Support from
Co-workers
English
Speakers
Poor
collaboration
Positive
relationship
with
members
Higher
education
Poverty Positive
relationship
with
facilitator
Perceived
judgment
from peers
Poor parking Child care
provided
Support from
partners
High crime
rates
Co-
morbidities
Barriers Enabling
Factors
Cultural
Aspects
Weather Positive
relationship
with
members
Spanish
Speakers
No child care
services
Support from
co-workers
Recent
immigrants
Strained
relationship
with
facilitator
Provide
incentives for
attendance
Lower
education
Poverty Co-
morbidities
High crime
rates
Greater
sense of
community
• These are the only support
groups in the area focusing
on perinatal depression
and anxiety
• The area studied are
disproportionately affected
by poverty, violence,
immigration, and lack of
education
• Perinatal depression is a
risk factor for child
behavior problems, more
so than binge drinking,
smoking, or physical/emotional abuse (National Center
for Children in Poverty, 2016).
• The costs of missed days of work and lost of productivity
for a mother with perinatal depression amount to $7,200
per year (Wilder Research, 2015).
Table 1. Interview #1 coded themes. Table 2. Interview #2 coded themes.
Direct Quotes from Interviews
• "...They call it 'Lynn the city of sin'...the poverty level is just
very high... a lot of addiction and a lot of mental health
problems."
• "For agencies, there’s been excitement and support...but,
uh, its been challenging at times to collaborate with other
agencies to help them invest in sending moms, particularly
the English-speaking support group.”
• "...A significant number of moms discuss with me
individually is, uh, a lot of judgment and at least perceived
judgment and criticism from other moms or other people
in the community...”
• "...They walk everywhere! So if it’s winter...they just can’t
come."
The interviews exhibit some of the
same factors such as:
• Weather
• Poverty
• Crime rates
• Positive relationship for members
• Support from co-workers
• High co-morbidity rates
The combination of poor collaboration with other agencies and
perceived judgment from other mothers provide a significant barrier to
attending the support groups. Meanwhile, the collaboration of incentives
and sense of community have encouraged participants to attend the
groups. This would suggest cultural competency to be a critical part of
improving the group’s attendance. Future projects in this area should
include:
• Support group members. Interviews with them could provide new
insights into what motivates them to attend.
• Increase amount of interviews. This would give better saturation, but
possibly not feasible.
• Outreach. Create profitable relationships with other agencies to
increase referral and invest in mobile centers or technology to ease
the burden of traveling during the winter months.
The areas of difference are:
• Collaboration
• Education
• Perceptions
• Values
• Child care services
• Incentives
• Relationship between facilitators